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Posted

Well, the cost for the mobile vet to euthanize in the home is $430, which seems reasonable.  Dealing with the body is extra, but there are options.

I was expecting at least $1K because of the stories above.

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Posted
17 hours ago, AUS-97HORN said:

I knew  vet care pricing was  getting a little nuts but this report is pretty eye opening as to why vet care costs have skyrocketed in the last few years.

 

In aug of '23 my Sadie started walking at a slighlty diagonal angle to me.. instead of coming directly at me, she was walking a few degrees off to her left.  Vet recommended taking her to Pet Specialist of Austin on 39th & Guad.    I went there, let them do some basic tests and they gave me the devastating news that she most likely had a brain tumor, and probably 3-5 months to live. 

They said they couldnt be sure without doing a MRI.  and all that assurance would give me is final confirmation that she was going to be gone in a few months.  But i would "know" for sure when it came time to say goodbye.

 I asked how much it would cost and their quote absolutely shocked me. 

It shocked me because I had had an MRI myself  less than 3 months earlier where I was offered the choice of using insurance and dealing with the copays and all the insurance craziness, or I could just pay $1900 Out of Pocket and have it done (used Insurance). 

 

So I assumed the cost would be somewhere around $1900 for a dog MRI....    

 

No isnt even remotely the right word to describe the quote I got....   $5,300.   more than FIVE FUCKING THOUSAND DOLLARS to confirm that my girl was going to die in 5 months anyway.

I sat there stunned and told them my cost on my MRI just months earlier  and I got told that its because they have to take extra precautions and that the dog has to be sedated and thats why it cost was almost 3X as much... 

(oh yeah and at 14, the death rate of sedating a dog is much higher)

I was like BULLSHIT... yeah sedation costs like $200, the doc to watch the dog might be another $400, and an overnight stay being monitored is probably another $200.    $2800 max, and you all are quoting basically DOUBLE that ammount?

 

I immediately knew they were trying to guilt pet parents into spending more than they needed to.  left, spent the next 4 months loving her and saying goodbye in Dec

 

 

When Blue was sick as a pup, they did a CT scan to diagnose her liver shunt. It was $3500. We had to wait until she had grown a bit more before A&M could do the surgery. Since it had been about five months, A&M had to do another CT scan. Their price? $600. 

I tell everyone that if they walk into a vet office and it looks like a high-end day spa, turn around and walk out. Look for the place that looks like they last remodeled in the 70's. Pick one with wood paneling, if you can. 

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Posted
15 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Well, the cost for the mobile vet to euthanize in the home is $430, which seems reasonable.  Dealing with the body is extra, but there are options.

I was expecting at least $1K because of the stories above.

When I had to put Penny down recently, I had taken her to the Urgent Vet on Burnet Road in the center next to where Dallas nightclub used to be located. They bridge the gap between regular vet hours and pricing and emergency vet hours and pricing. The did an exam, ultrasound, x-ray, meds, euthanasia, and sent her away for the cremation with the ashes returned. 

My total bill? $850. $350 of that was the cremation. I can't complain about their pricing at all. A regular emergency vet would have cost twice that, easily. 

They keep the prices down by not having surgery capabilities on site, but have a place they can move them to. 

If you have vet needs during the weekday hours of 3 pm to 11 pm, or weekends from 11 am to 7 pm, its a good option. 

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Posted
17 hours ago, Mittens said:

Local vets getting acquired by large conglomerates can't be helping that either.  I used Lake Austin Blvd Animal Hospital for 16 or 17 years and loved the relationship, for the most part.  They were acquired by Livewell a year or two ago, and their service just went to shit.  Tried to live through their growing pains, but the overall incompetency finally broke me a couple months ago.  Requested all records and moved on.

Yep. Private Equity strikes again. My BIL is a vet and told me there’s only like 2-3 private practices left in Austin. 

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Posted
19 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Dealing with the body is extra

I would just pre-dig the hole out back. They can't charge you for that. I'm sure they might try, but...

Posted
28 minutes ago, Deej said:

I would just pre-dig the hole out back. They can't charge you for that. I'm sure they might try, but...

No, they're fine with us keeping the body.  It would be a pretty big hole, I think we'll either go with the cremation or 311 route.  I mostly just want my kids present when she passes, they need to experience it (which may sound cruel but it is obviously part of life and a huge part of pet ownership).  My son has already said he's gonna make her a steak and my daughter is offering up cupcakes.  I was very touched by that.

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Posted
23 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

My son has already said he's gonna make her a steak and my daughter is offering up cupcakes.  I was very touched by that.

When I die, I'm coming to your house. 

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